


kissing on the battlefield (and beyond)

by selenedaydreams



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/F, Femslash February, Femslash February Trope Bingo, Phasma As Ben's Bodyguard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-05-20 23:34:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6029692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/selenedaydreams/pseuds/selenedaydreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Rey's summer stay at her aunt and uncle's estate turns dark, Leia decides to hire a bodyguard for Ben in order to protect him from threats of harm. The only problem is that Rey didn't except to even talk to Ben's new bodyguard, much less to try and spend every waking moment with her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I have been meaning to write something for this ship and when I saw that one of the squares on my femtrope bingo card said "royalty AU" I couldn't help but think that this was the (almost) perfect scenario. Almost because it's not the traditional royalty AU but I think it's a nice twist on it and not unheard of in popular media. 
> 
> The fic needs to be finished by the end of February so expect updates every three days or so, unless life happens, which I don't anticipate it will.

Light filters through the open blinds that she had forgotten to draw closed last night, effectively rousing her out of her sleep and causing her to press her face into the pillow one final time before opening her eyes. One glance at the clock on the nightstand dispels any plans of going back to sleep, still she doesn’t get out of bed just yet.

Three days have passed since she had arrived at her aunt and uncle’s estate, a lavish mansion fit for royalty since, well, they technically are royalty, even though her aunt’s current prefered title is General. It does have a better right to it. General Organa. Even though her uncle, Han, still insists on calling her Princess, though it’s more than obvious that he does it in a teasing fashion as opposed to anything else.

She has yet to see him since Han had embarked on a “transportation” mission several days before her arrival, although the way Leia emphasized the word transpiration makes her wonder how legal it actually is since she’s fairly certain that Han has smuggled his fair share of people across the border, for humanitarian reasons, of course. Still, according to her, Han should be back within the next couple of days, or weeks, definitely not months, she’ll have plenty of time to spend with him before she must leave again (and learn how to drive his pickup truck like he had promised her last time she had visited).

Her hand comes up to toy with the necklace around her neck, a sapphire hanging from a delicate silver chain that her father had given her the day she was born despite the fact that it had been too long for her then, reaching her stomach when he had first put it around her neck. She smiles to herself, something between happiness and longing because while she understands that her father is one of the best fencers in the whole world, she still misses him every time he has to leave to train a new league of fencers.

A harsh knock at the door pulls her out of her thoughts. She’s on her feet immediately, drawing a robe over her nightgown and opening the door. Ben stands before her, already dressed and ready for the day despite it not even being past seven yet.

“What’s wrong?” She asks, looking up at him in concern. “Did something happen?”

Ben shakes his head as he pushes past her, entering her bedroom and sitting down on the love seat directly in front of her bed without uttering a single word. When she looks at him after shutting the door, she doesn’t miss the troubled expression on his face or the way his eyebrows knit in silent worry as their gazes meet.

“Ben, what’s wrong? What’s the matter?” She asks again as she sits down next to him, her eyes falling to something, a piece of paper, clutched tightly in his hand.

“You can’t tell my mom.” Is the first thing he says and it takes her a moment to agree, even though she isn’t certain that she can keep that promise, especially now that she’s suddenly terribly worried and on high alert.

“Alright.” In her defense, it’s barely a promise.

“I got this letter yesterday,” His fingers fidget with the envelope, hesitating before thrusting it in her open hands. “It’s not the first one.” He adds after another moment of hesitation.

Rey pulls the letter out of the envelope and unfolds it, bringing it closer to her face in order to read the scribbled handwriting:

> _You haven’t taken my warnings seriously, I see._
> 
> _I’m still watching you, Ben, I’m always watching you, and I know your uncle is training more padawans as we speak. Will they be any better than you?_
> 
> _Is the girl better than you?_
> 
> **_-Snoke_ **

A chill runs down her spine as she reads the last line, knowing that it could only refer to one person. Me, she thinks, and when she looks up at Ben again, his expression mirrors her own. Someone is watching them. Someone has _been_ watching them.

“We have to tell Leia.”

“No.” Ben protests immediately, snatching the letter from her hands and stuffing it inside the pocket of his jacket.

“Ben,” Her expression shifts to a far more serious one as she puts a careful but comforting hand on his knee. “We have to tell her. This is serious. Someone is watching us. We can’t just ignore it. What if they try to hurt us?”

“I would never let anyone hurt you, Rey.” He says immediately, looking at her with the kind of determination that makes her smile because she believes him, she wholeheartedly believes him, but even so, this isn’t something they can overcome together. It’s not like the time when Rey was ten and Ben helped her climbs the giant oak tree in the backyard or that they when she was fifteen and he stole his father’s car so they could drive around until she no longer felt homesick. This is bigger and more dangerous than anything they have ever faced and if Ben is dead set on protecting her, then she can’t do anything but return the favor.

“I know you won’t.” She smiles reassuringly. “You have fencing practice, don’t you? Why don’t we talk about this later then?”

\---

Rey finds Leia in her office, an enormous room that is almost never empty and could hardly classify as an actual office. She’s on the phone when Rey walks in, her face lighting up at the sight of her, although that may also have something to do with the new boots she is sporting, courtesy of Han for missing her arrival.

“Good morning.” She greets as she hangs up the phone with a curt goodbye, moving towards her to bridge the gap between them and pull her into an affectionate embrace that Rey immediately returns. That’s one thing she’s always loved about her aunt, her infectiously caring demeanor. “What can I do for you?”

Rey falters at those words, her smile fading and being replaced by the same anxious worry from before, something Leia catches on to immediately and reaches for Rey’s hands in a futile soothing attempt. “Rey, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

“I have to tell you something.” She says as though that much isn’t obvious, but it gives her the courage to pull out the letter she had stolen from Ben when he had hugged her before finally leaving for his practice.

Leia looks up at her in confusion for a brief moment before taking the letter and pulling it out of the envelope. When she finishes reading, she looks paler than before and something akin to guilt builds inside her chest, making her wonder if maybe Ben was right, if maybe he should have let him handle this himself.

“Did Ben tell you to give me this?” She asks, but her dubious tone is answer enough which is why she sighs audibly when Rey shakes her head.

“That boy is too damn chivalrous for his own good.” Leia pockets the letter before moving back towards the desk in order to pick up the phone again and request that Ben be sent up to her office.

“You did well by coming to me.”

It’s almost as if she could read her thoughts, Rey thinks, because those words alone make her feel a little better about completely disregarding Ben’s wishes. It’s for his safety (and mine), she continues to remind herself.

**\---**

Ben is less than pleased when he walks into her office, and even though Rey isn’t actually sorry, well, not sorry enough to take back her actions, she flashes him an apologetic half smile as Leia asks him to sit down in the chair across from the love seat where they are currently seated.

“Ben, you should have told me.” Leia gives him a pointed look when he tries to interrupt. “This is serious, alright? Now, I’ve already alerted the police about the situation and they said they will do everything in their power to find whoever has been sending you these threatening letter, which by the way, I need the rest of, but in the meantime I think we need to take more preventive measures.”

“Preventive measures?” Ben echoes back in slight annoyance. “Like what? Never leaving the house again?”

“No, you have duties to attend to and so do I, so do all of us,” Leia replies. “But I do think we should increase security and limit trips outside the estate as much as possible.”

“Why don’t I just change my name to something stupid like, I don’t know, Kylo Ren and relocate to some remote island until the police arrests them.”

Rey scrunches her nose and laughs because that’s honestly one of the most ridiculous ideas she has ever heard except for the part where it’s not so ridiculous since it could technically work. It definitely could work but Leia’s deadpan expression translates into a very big no. Ben almost looks disappointed but not quite as disappointed as when he hears his mother’s idea.

“I’m going to hire you a bodyguard.”

“Couldn’t I just be his bodyguard?” Rey suggests because it’s not as absurd as it sounds. She has remarkable fighting skills and no one would suspect someone of her size as being anything more than a fragile princess.

“No.” Leia shoots down the idea immediately. “And not because you can’t do it, because I know you can, but because if you injure someone they could sue us. Tomorrow morning I’m going to make some calls and-”

“But mom,” Ben tries to interrupt, only to have Leia cut him off immediately.

“And find you a suitable bodyguard. End of discussion.”

Rey averts her eyes to the floor but she can still feel Ben glaring at her from across the table.


	2. Nanny Selection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After interviewing several candidates that leave much to be desired, Leia hires one that might be a little too desirable.

Leia interviews potential bodyguards over the next couple of days, asking Rey to join her and make sure that she agrees on her choice since Rey will undoubtedly be speeding time with the new bodyguard while Ben has to attend meetings and other such things. Rey agrees without a second thought because even if she wouldn’t have to spend time with them, she wants to be certain that whoever they are, they’re someone Ben will get along with and not try to ditch as soon as the opportunity arises. 

The first person they interview, one Brendol Hux, leaves much to be desired, or actually, quite the opposite, Leia would have considered hiring him had he to been so...intimidating, for lack of a better word. Rey is certain that he would have gladly committed murder if it meant keeping his client safe, which is commendable, in some screwed up way, but nevertheless also very much illegal. 

Upon seeing him leave, Poe Dameron, Leia’s private pilot offered to help protect Ben since he  _ technically  _ did have some bodyguard training, at least enough that once when someone had tried to hijack his plane, _ his baby _ , he had knocked them out in one solid blow and saved Leia’s life all at the same time. Leia declines though because she’s still doesn’t know exactly what they are dealing with here and putting Poe’s life in danger isn’t an option, even with his own willing consent, is simply not an option. 

They see another couple of people that Rey doesn’t bother committing to memory because from the moment they walked in the room it became obvious that Leia would never hire them. By the time the last of them leaves Rey can’t help but wonders if there is actually anyone out there that can even come close to meeting Leia’s strict standards. 

That’s when  _ she  _ walks in.

Rey sits up straighter almost unconsciously, suddenly feeling small in comparison to her towering presence. She’s tall,  _ really tall _ , with a firm handshake to match her stature and the kind of sweet smile that takes Rey completely by surprise. 

Her name is Phasma, which sounds oddly elitist but Rey doesn’t question it, almost forgetting about it all together once she start listing her qualifications. From the corner of her eye, Rey can tell that Leia is impressed and it gives her some semblance of hope that maybe, just maybe, they have found someone. Phasma is larger than life and seemingly too good to be true except that her credentials and past work all check out and it makes Rey wonder how anyone thought that they could compare to her or why she even wanted this job in the first place since it seems a bit beneath her, so to speak. 

Leia hires her right on the spot and when she’s asked when she can start, Phasma flashes her another brilliant smiles and tells her that she can start right now. Perfect doesn’t seem like an adequate enough description for her.

**\---**

“So, you’re Ben’s sister?” 

Phasma asks almost as soon as Leia leaves them alone, placing Rey in charge of showing her to her room and any other places Phasma may wish to visit since Leia regrettably has to return to her duties and Ben is attending meetings for the majority of the day so they won’t actually be able to meet until later that evening. 

The word lucky crosses her mind but Rey pushes it away and reminds herself that Phasma is here to protect Ben because some creep is stalking them and insisting on turning their lives upside down. That thought alone is enough to sober her up.

“No, I’m his cousin.” Rey says, looking up at her as she speaks. It’s a little hard to look away because if she’s honest, Rey’s idea of a bodyguard was a bulky middle-aged man not an incredibly attractive woman that’s probably taller than Ben. Well, in heels, it seems.

“You’re visiting then?”   
  
“Am I a suspect?” Rey quips although she’s half serious because she has yet to figure Phasma out if the charming disposition is just a persona or her actual personality.

“No.” Phasma laughs and shakes her head which definitely means no but she had to ask, who knows what bodyguards are taught to look for. Isn’t the family the first suspect when someone is murdered? 

“But yes, I’m visiting.” Rey adds because she hasn’t actually answered Phasma’s question yet. “I usually spend the summers here with my aunt and uncle while my father is away on official business.”

“Official business,” Phasma echoes with a coy smile. “Sounds mysterious.”   
  
When Rey laughs, Phasma looks especially pleased with herself. “Not really. He’s one of the best fencers in the world and every summer he teaches newcomers.”

“Do you fence too?”

Rey shrugs, turning her back to Phasma briefly as they make their way up the marble staircase and towards the west wing where Phasma’s room is located. Disappointingly, Rey’s room is in the east wing along with every other member of her family. Though, if you run you can make it from one wing to another in less than five minutes, she and Ben had figured that one out years ago when they were still children.

“I used to, but now I’m more interested in programming. And mechanics.” She adds just a moment later.

Phasma appears impressed and it stirs something akin to pride inside Rey’s chest despite only having met this woman a couple of minutes ago. It’s strange and unsettling in an odd way so Rey pushes past it and points out Phasma’s room once they round the top of the stairs. 

“Ben’s room is on the other side of the house, two doors down from mine.” Rey says after pointing out the necessities like the bathroom and kitchen. Why she feels the need to point out her own room, she isn’t sure, but Phasma doesn’t ask either, just commits the information to memory as she pushes open the door to her new room.

“You know, this is much nicer than I’m used to.” She flashes Rey a wide smile as she sets her bags down by one of the heavy oak dressers. The room is smaller than Rey’s, with less ornate furniture and only a queen sized bed but nevertheless, she doesn’t doubt Phasma’s words. Rey is fully aware of the fact that her aunt and uncle’s estate is a lavish place to live in.

“Princess worthy?” Rey teases, making Phasma to smile all over again in that kind of way that lights up the room and causes Rey’s heart to beat just a little too far. 

This might be a  _ slight  _ problem. 

**\---**

Correction: it’s a  _ very  _ big problem. 

It’s a very big problem because Phasma describes jumping out of a plane the same way someone would describe eating their morning cereal. Mundane and with only minimal satisfaction yet apparently also very important. The first time she did it was in order to save a client’s life. The second time was just because she could. Phasma had willingly jumped out of a plane just because she could and Rey can’t decide if that’s endearing or concerning. 

“I was chased by a bear once too.” She adds as she tosses another macaron into her mouth. “We were out camping, this was in Siberia, by the way, and out of nowhere this giant grizzly bear starts chasing us.”

“Did you outrun it?” Rey asks, her voice tinged with concern.

Phasma laughs and shakes her head. “No, I did exactly what you’re supposed to do when a bear chases you: lay down on the ground and pretend to be dead.”

While Rey is relieved to hear that Phasma had escaped the situation unscathed, she can’t help but feel slighted disappointed about the fact that she hadn’t knocked out a bear. Although, she supposes that no one is stupid enough to attempt to fist fight a bear even if it would make for a legendary story. 

“That’s not the weirdest thing I’ve ever done though,” Phasma continues, “I think by far my weirdest experience was when a client requested that I wear a chrome armor for their son’s birthday party.”

“A chrome armor?”

“It was a medieval slash futuristic themed party. The kid was really creative. It was kind of cool, actually.” Phasma says as if any amount of information would justify such a bizarre request. 

Rey pauses for a moment, staring at Phasma in a futile attempt to even begin imagining what she could have looked like. A part of her wants to ask if there are pictures but she doubts that Phasma would say yes even if there were because who would want that to potentially be their legacy? That’s when something comes back to her, making her set her fork down.

“Can I ask you something?” Rey says, her fingers toying with the hem of her shirt as she speaks.

Phasma gives a quiet noise of approval from around a mouthful of eclair. 

“Phasma. Is that actually your real name?”   


From the way Phasma is currently looking at her, Rey gathers that she had probably expected the question to come up at some point. “No, it’s a code name that I use for security reasons.” 

“So, your real name is….”

Phasma smirks all too proudly. “Classified.”

Rey does nothing to hide her disappointment because while Phasma is definitely one of the most interesting names she had ever heard, it suddenly feels like there’s even more of a barrier between them and it shifts everything into high focus. Phasma, or whatever her real name might be, is here on official business to protect Ben (and her, as well, by association) from anyone that might try to bring them harm and no amount of dessert eating together in the sun room will change that. This is just part of her job.

She must still look disappointed because the next thing she knows, there are fingers delicately wrapping around her forearm in a comforting manner. “But who knows, when this is all over I might just let you in on this secret.”

There is nothing seductive about those words, Rey tries to convince herself, but when Phasma finally pulls away, her fingers linger for a moment longer than they need to, almost as if she hadn’t wanted to let go. Rey repeats to herself for the hundredth time that she is nothing more than Ben’s bodyguard but all rationally flies out the door when Phasma stands up.

“I should go, Mr. Solo will be finishing his meeting soon so my job starts.” All rationality files out the door because Phasma winks at her before turning around. “I’ll see you later, Rey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys don't mind the lightsaber/force use and fencing analogy- I know it's a bit random but I needed something fancyish but either way, it's not going to be very relevant.


	3. Of Failed Seduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amidst the unfolding investigation, Rey and Phasma grow closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this might be the longest chapter. Anyway, enjoy the references to Anakin and Padme, because I had to throw them in. Also Jessika Pava.

It’s been over a week since everything had changed and yet nothing much actually did.

No one had broken into their home, no suspicious people were found lurking around the grounds, everything followed the general pace of things Rey had grown accustomed to since she had arrived for the summer. 

When she gets dressed that morning, she quietly chides herself for reaching for her dresses again, but the sun is out in full bloom and it would be a crime not to take advantage of it, even if her choice of attire has nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with impressing Ben’s new bodyguard. It’s terribly cliche but the guilt fades quickly as she slowly spins around in front of the mirror, allowing the soft material of her green dress flutter around her legs.

While Ben attends more meetings today, something top secret and hush hush enough that Phasma isn’t allowed inside the room, Rey has been tasked with keeping her company yet again. Her aunt has tried to start conversation about the newest addition to the estate’s staff but each time Rey had brushed her off in the nicest way possible because no, they were not going to have this conversation. 

After finding her shoes and slipping them on, Rey glides down the stretching hallways towards the meeting chamber where Phasma is waiting outside. There’s a smile on her face as soon as she sees her, and Rey can’t help but return the gesture. 

“So, what’s this surprise you have to show me?”

Right, the surprise. Yesterday over dinner Rey had mentioned her favorite place to hide out but didn’t name it nor did she go into much detail about it in hopes that Phasma would just let her show her instead of telling her. In her defense, the enormous garden maze situated at the back of the estate can only truly be appreciated by being witnessed in person. 

“You’ll see.” The cryptic answers seems to peek her interest all over again and Rey can physically feel her excitement as she follows her down the staircase and towards the back entrance.

“I love your dress, by the way.” Phasma comments as Rey pushes the door open for them.

To call it a victory seems like an overstatement but then again, Rey is fairly certain that it took seeing Rey from all angles for Phasma to even notice her attire so she smiles to herself and offers a polite thank you before leads them further into the backyard. 

The sun shines brightly above them, casting them in its warmth and Rey swears that Phasma’s hair is actually glistening in the light. Either way, Rey finds herself unable to tear her gaze away, only finally doing so when it becomes apparent that she is staring.

“This way.”

For a brief moment, she almost reaches for Phasma’s hand because it would be appropriate in this situation and Rey could definitely get away with forgetting to let go but she composes herself instead and points in the right direction with a nod of her chin. 

It only takes rounding the corner for it to appear in full view: a monstrous and intricate construction that draws a ‘wow’ of disbelief from Phasma’s lips. Rey is just a little proud of herself.

“It’s…” Phasma pauses as if searching for the right word, “beautiful.”

“My grandfather had it built after coming home from a beach vacation.” Rey explains. “He hated the sand so much that he wanted something as a constant reminder of everything sand wasn’t.”

Phasma glances at her in disbelief but Rey’s expression remains serious and just a tad amused. “Wild but true.”

At least she thinks that it’s true, especially from the way Ben likes to tell it since it’s his favorite family story, though Rey can’t imagine why. It probably has something to do with the fact that the maze is a tangible reminder of someone he never had the chance to meet, knowing them only through pictures and occasional anecdotes passed down through generations. Personally, Rey’s favorite stories had always been the ones about her grandmother’s fashion choices and the fact that she somehow always managed to look incredible while still working full time as a senator.

“Come on, it’s even better on the inside.” 

This time, Rey does reach for her hand to pull her inside. Truth be told, she knows this maze like the back of her hand but if pretending to get lost will warrant more time with Phasma then she can certainly pretend like she doesn’t remember the correct way out. 

“What if we get lost?” Phasma asks, almost as if on cue.

“Would that be such a bad thing?” Rey asks and she’s acutely aware of the fact that they are still holding hands despite already being well into the maze. Safety precaution, she tells herself, or maybe Phasma hasn’t even noticed. 

“Not if I’m with you.”

Rey can only hope that Phasma can’t hear the way her heart is hammering against her chest. 

**\---**

Leia is waiting for them at the end of the maze once they finally make it out almost an hour later. 

“Phasma. Rey.” She greets them, a soft smile on her lips. “Ben should be finished with his meeting soon.”

Which is a more polite way of relating to Phasma that her shift, for lack of a better word, is about to start. 

“Of course.” She reaches out for Rey’s hand once again and gives it a gentle squeeze before reluctantly pulling away. “I’ll see you later.”

Rey hopes she isn’t blushing because she can feel her aunt’s eyes watching her as they slowly walk away from the maze in the opposite direction that Phasma had gone. 

“So,” She starts off, drawling out the word in an almost innocent fashion. “You’ve been spending quite a lot of time with Phasma.”

“Because you have asked me to keep her company while Ben is busy.” It’s technically true but also a perfect excuse to hide behind.

“You showed her your grandfather’s maze.” She says as if it’s supposed to imply something not outwardly voic. 

“We needed something to do.” Rey shrugs but it does nothing to diminish the weight of her actions. The only other person she had shown the maze to was their old pilot, Jessika Pava. That is, before she had moved halfway across the world when she had been offered the job of a lifetime. Regardless, they were just children then, barely ten years old, and yet she has to admit that being her here had been a special occasion. A special occasion marked by held hands and chaste, almost shy kisses under the moonlight. Right now she almost regrets telling Leia that story because she hadn’t imagine it would ever come back to haunt her.

“Did I ever tell you that when I first met your uncle I couldn’t stand him?”

“Many times, auntie.” Rey says but there’s a fondness to her tone because no matter how much she doesn’t want to have this conversation right now, there’s something touching about the way Leia’s face always seems to light up when she talks about Han. 

“It took spending time with him for me to realize that I was crazy about him.” 

“You’ve told me before.”

“Well, just keep that in mind.” She says before adding. “No pressure.”

Why would there be any pressure, she wants to ask, but instead decides to change the subject because no, they are  _ definitely  _ not having this conversation right now. Or ever, actually. “How is the investigation going?”

Leia grows seriously at those words. “Not very well. They seem to be at a standstill with no current leads. I’ve scheduled a meeting for Ben to go into town tomorrow and speak with them personally to see if he could offer any more help.”

Ben had already spoken with the police once, as had Rey, though it didn’t seem as if either of them had been able to provide them with any beneficial information other than the terribly unhelpful ‘I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary’.

“Should I go with him?”

Leia shakes her head as they reach the front entrance of the estate. “It would probably be best for you to stay here.” Just when she thinks she is finished, Leia reaches out to put a comforting hand on Rey’s arm. “Don’t worry, Phasma will only be gone for a couple of hours.”

Rey suddenly wonders when she had become so incredibly transparent. 

**\---**

Working out has always been a form of therapy for Rey. It’s easy to get lost in the sound of her erratic heartbeat and block out everything else, all other thoughts that stubbornly refuse to leave her mind. 

She used to go in the morning when no one else was even awake yet and she could get through her routine at her own pace, but lately night time has been a better option to work off any tension she had accumulated during the day. 

It  _ should  _ be uneventful except that when she pushes open the door she immediately realizes that she’s not alone.

Phasma is doing push ups, correction, one arm pushups, in the middle of the floor and it’s hard for Rey tear her gaze away when Phasma is clad in a neon pink sports bra and body hugging leggings. It makes her think twice about her own attire: oversized T-shirt and a pair of Ben’s sweatpants that Leia had accidentally shrug in the washer. 

“Rey, hey!” Phasma says enthusiastically as she stands up, effectively catching Rey’s attention once again.

“Phasma,” Rey greets back, stepping closer despite her intended destination being the treadmill on the other side of the gym, “hi.”

“Do you need the mat? Cause I’m almost done.”

Rey falters for a moment despite not needing to ponder the answer to her question. “No, I’m just going to run. On the treadmill.” She adds immediately.

Phasma smiles, the same bright and beautiful smile as always, while moving towards the weight rack opposite the treadmill. “It’s all yours. I’m almost done, anyway.”

Rey nods, exchanging a few more pleasantries with Phasma before the chatter quiets down and they focus their attention on the task at hand. It’s not incredibly difficult to focus when the treadmill is facing away from Phasma and thus, there’s virtually no chance of being distracted. The only indication that another person is in the room are the soft grunts of exertion heard from Phasma’s end of the gym. 

It all goes well for the first fifteen minutes, Rey putting everything she had into her run, even increasing the incline past what she usually does and trying to convince herself that she’s just trying to increase her endurance, not impress Phasma. It really is smooth sailing except that her legs are getting just a little tired, making it far easier for her to get distracted and attempt to glance behind her at Phasma, which in retrospect, is a terrible idea. 

A really terrible idea because the moment she looks back, staring at Phasma doing bicep curls for a little too long, her feet slide out from under her and she shoots off the treadmill, landing in an ungraceful heap on the hardwood floor. 

Phasma is at her side immediately, supporting the back of her head as she helps her sit up. Her back aches and there’s a strong chance that her ankle isn’t supposed to look the way it currently does. Embarrassed isn’t even close to covering how she feels and for a moment, she seriously contemplates hiding her face in her hands and hoping for the earth to swallow her whole. 

“Rey,” Phasma carefully twists her head until their eyes meet. “Does your head hurt?”

“No.”

“Okay. Good. At least you don’t have a concussion.” She says before quickly adding. “Maybe.”

Rey laughs because she’s honestly not sure which would be worse: not having a concussion and remembering every awkward detail of this encounter or having a concussion and potentially not remembering any of this. At the current moment, option B sounds far more appealing., collateral damage not considered.

“Can you walk?” Phasma asks, already helping Rey to her feet with one arm wrapped firmly around her waist. 

“My left ankle hurts.” When she tries to put weight on it, it protests immediately, sending a sharp, shooting pain through her system and making her lean more heavily onto Phasma for support. 

“Okay, just lean on me, just like that.” Phasma tightens her hold on Rey as they head towards the door. “I’m taking you back to your bedroom.”

Rey is silent for the majority of the trip, only speaking when Phasma checks in on her to make sure that she’s still doing alright. It’s both touching and still terribly embarrassing but Rey is just glad that she didn’t ask her  _ how  _ she had fallen.

When they make it back to Rey’s bedroom, Phasma carefully sets her down on the bed and kneels in front of her, gently taking hold of her injured foot. 

“Don’t worry, I have basic medical training.” She smiles up at Rey reassuringly as she slowly eases off her shoe and examines her ankle. Rey isn’t even shocked that she’s medically trained. “Well, it’s definitely not broken...and it doesn’t even look sprained. You just landed on it funny. It should be fine tomorrow morning.”

Another smile follows and Rey can’t help from returning it despite the fact that her fingers had been fidgeting with the sheets the whole time Phasma was examining her ankle. She keeps trying to push the incident aside, to remind herself that people fall all the time but then again, the majority of those people don’t fall while attempting to impress someone.  

“I’m sorry.” Rey says because it’s the only thing that seems appropriate but the confused look on Phasma’s face makes her second guess her word choice. 

“Sorry for what?”

“For falling?” It sounds just as strange out loud as it did in her head.

“You don’t have to apologize for falling.” Phasma insists. “It’s not like you did it on purpose.”

Rey shakes her head because that’s one thing she’s certain of, she definitely didn’t fall on purpose, although she did get to spend more one on one time with Phasma so overall, it hasn’t been such a terrible evening. 

“You know,” Phasma says and she’s leaning close enough that Rey can count her eyelashes. “Maybe I should be your bodyguard instead. So far you’re the only one I’ve rescued.”

If she’s blushing, which she most certainly is, Phasma can definitely see it. “Maybe you should.”


	4. A Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the culprit is caught and the investigation draws to a close, Rey and Phasma stop dancing around each other.

Almost a week later and Rey still can’t stop thinking about the night of the embarrassing encounter in the gym. They laughed it off the next morning, Phasma coming by to check in on her and make sure that her ankle hadn’t gotten worse overnight. True to her words, she was perfectly fine, it still felt a little sore to step on but nothing that Rey couldn’t push through.

Ben remains constantly busy and Rey can’t help but wonder if he’s doing it for her benefit because she had peaked at his schedule a few days ago and he was not nearly as busy as he appeared to be. When he had not so casually asked her how it was going with Phasma, Rey feigned ignorance and excused herself because if she was not having this conversation with Leia, then she was  _ definitely  _ not having this conversation with Ben. 

Except that she’s not sure she can avoid Leia much longer, especially since she called Rey into her office right after Ben and Phasma had left for town that morning, telling her that she needed help reprogramming the security system and that Rey was the only one she trusted to do it. It’s obviously a carefully constructed lie but calling her out on it is a no go, so Rey has no choice but to show up at her aunt’s office.

The room is unsurprisingly empty and Rey summons up all her courage before sitting down at the desk and beginning to work on the computer. Leia hovers near by, watching over her shoulder but remaining silent except for a couple of instructions about how she would like the new security system to function. Rey thinks she’s almost off the hook when Leia speaks again.

“So,” She starts off, pausing for make sure she has Rey’s attention before continuing. “You and Phasma.”

It’s a statement, not a question. “Auntie-”

“What? Do you think I haven’t noticed that you two have been spending every waking moment together?”

Rey can’t argue with that because it’s true, she even hear some of the maids talking about it in hushed voices as they cleaned around the mansion. Her voice in quiet when she speaks, eyes fixed on the screen in front of her. “No.”

“Well,” From the corner of her eye, Rey sees her hands move to her hips. “Is this something I should know about?”

Rey’s immediate reaction is to negate the accusation but she composes herself enough to just shake her head. “There’s nothing going on between us. I swear.” 

Saying it out loud leaves a bad taste in her mouth, making her painfully aware of the fact that no matter how much she has talked this up inside her head, no matter the stolen glances and lingering touches, the truth of the matter is that nothing is actually going on between them. Sometimes Rey wonders if maybe she’s made it all up because surely by now Phasma should have said something. After all, Rey hasn’t exactly been very subtle about her feelings and intentions. 

“But you like her, don’t you?”

Rey bows her head, smiling to herself and that’s a whole answer in and of itself. “Yeah.” 

Of course she likes her, that’s kind of the whole problem. At this point, not having any feelings for Phasma would be far less problematic. She doesn’t even know her real name and Rey is one embrace away from spilling her whole heart to her in some dramatic love confession.

“She likes you too.” When Rey is about to protest, Leia silences her with a pointed look. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you. The way she watches you when you’re not looking. She likes you, Rey.”

Rey feels her chest tighten because she would like nothing more than to believe her aunt. Leia wouldn’t lie to her and yet it’s a difficult concept to wrap her head around, especially considering all the other problems that it brings about. If Phasma does return her feelings, where do they go from here? This is not a fairytale, they can’t ride off into the sunset on a white horse because the reality of the matter is that Phasma was only temporarily hired and once the investigation is finished, she will have to leave and move on to her next assignment.

“What happens if the police catches who was sending those letters and Phasma has to leave?”

She catches the exact moment Leia’s expression turns serious. “Oh, sweetheart. That’s why I asked you to come here.” Leia is at her side in an instant, taking hold of her hand and squeezing it reassuringly. “The police called this morning. They’ve caught him.”

Rey wants to pull away, wants to tug her hand out of Leia’s and run back to her room in a childish attempt to escape this news. It’s not fair, she wants to say, but instead she swallow her emotions and tries to focus on Ben. He’s safe now. “Who was it?”

“The gardener.”

Rey frowns immediately. “ _ Jar Jar Binks _ ?”

“Apparently he was fed up with the fact that he hasn’t been promoted since he started working here. To tell you the truth, I only kept him around because I felt bad for him,” She pauses and returns her attention to Rey once again. “But that’s not important. Rey, honey, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” It’s not. It’s not fine at all but taking her sorrows out on Leia who is innocent in all this would be nothing but cruel. “I’ll just...I guess I’ll just have to talk to her.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Leia is smiling now, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “I only told Han how I felt about him when I thought I wouldn’t see him again and look at us now, still going strong.”

**\---**

After excusing herself and swinging by the kitchen to grab a pint of ice cream, Rey locks herself in her bedroom despite the odd looks from the servants in the hallway. With the blinds drawn and the room plunged in almost complete darkness, she sits in the middle of the bed and takes the ice cream and attacks it.

She tries to distract herself, writing a far too long letter to her father, nevertheless, one that she knows he will appreciate since they have barely spoken over the phone, both being a little busy and caught up in their own world. 

Rey briefly entertains the idea of leaving. Leaving right now, that is, asking Poe to drop her off at where her father is training because Poe has always had a soft spot for her and if she asked nicely and spun a homesick story, which would technically be true, he would definitely do it. Except that it would mean that once she got there, she would have to explain to her father why she spontaneously left, plus, this seemed rather unfair to Leia and especially Han, who she hasn’t even seen yet. 

It’s a terrible plan but for a few hours on the ride there she would be at peace. Wishful thinking, all of it.

There’s a knock on the door as the sun begins to set, and Rey can only pray that it’s either Leia or Ben or just about anyone else. “Who is it?”

“It’s Phasma.”

Of course, she’s never really been very lucky. Not opening the door is certainly not an option, and yet Rey falters for a moment before finally taking a deep breath to calm herself and reaching for the handle. 

“Hi.”

“Hey,” Phasma smiles the moment their eyes meet and in that brief moment of weakness, Rey cracks the door open enough for Phasma to slip inside. “You weren’t at dinner and your aunt said you’ve been up here all day.”

A part of Rey wants to be mad at her aunt but then again, it’s not as if she hadn’t expected Leia to rat her out. It’s in her style and the truth of the matter is that deep down, Rey knew that she couldn’t hide from this forever. They would eventually have to talk, and in the spirit of trying to minimize the awkwardness, it was probably better they talked sooner rather than later. 

“Yeah, I wasn’t feeling well.” Rey says, her back turned as she makes her way back to the bed. 

She’s still wearing the same pink dress from earlier, having been too caught up in things to change, although now she’s suddenly very grateful for it because even though she feels like a complete mess, at least she doesn’t look like one. 

“The police caught the man threatening your cousin.” Phasma says as a means of conversation, watching Rey carefully from where she is hover by the door. “But I assume your aunt already told you that.”

All Rey can do is nod and she must unconsciously shift on the bed because the next thing she knows, Phasma sits down next to her, leaving a comfortable distance between them Rey isn’t sure how she feels about. 

“You don’t seem very happy.” Phasma adds.

“Not really.” Lying wouldn’t be very convincing so she opts for the truth, although her answer was pretty much evident from the fact that she has been cooped up in her room all day. Not to mention the empty ice cream carton on the nightstand.

“Can I ask why?”

Rey laughs but it’s bitter and with not one ounce of humor behind it. “It’s stupid.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah.” She finally looks over Phasma as she says that word.

“Then, can I tell  _ you  _ something?”

Rey frowns in slight confusion but nods nonetheless, because over the past weeks in has been proven time and time again that Rey can’t refuse her. She leans in closer, biting her lower lip before speaking and Rey is a little too encaptured by her mouth to realize she’s staring. “My name is Gwendoline.”

Moments later, Rey is still staring but so is Phasma and it’s only then that Rey realizes that there is no longer any space between them and if she were to lean up just a little more, their lips would be touching. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because if your feelings are stupid then mine must be too.”

Rey hears her breath catch in her throat and she wants to say something, wants to dignify those words with a response but Phasma’s eyes are flicking between her eyes and lips and all Rey can do in that moment is reach up and kiss her, her hand falling to Phasma’s knee for support.

Phasma’s hands move to her hair, tugging her closer and deepening the kiss in a way that make Rey’s fingers tighten in the fabric of her pants. It’s a little overwhelming and everything she’s wanted so when she finally pulls back, she doesn’t stay away for long, leaning into a second kiss only moments later. Phasma laughs against her lips as Rey smiles and relaxes against her.

They need to talk, need to discuss what is going to happen now that Phasma is technically no longer needed and they are technically together, but all such thoughts leave her head when Phasma presses her down onto the bed and kisses her in a whole different way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be posting the epilogue later today so stay tuned for that!


	5. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after.

When Rey wakes up, she finds Phasma watching her, her mussed hair shining in the soft morning light and bringing a warm smile to Rey’s lips. 

It feels surreal, elating in the best way possible and she reaches for Phasma’s hand under the sheets because as cliche as it might be, she wants to make sure that his is real. Not that Phasma seems to mind, because she takes hold of Rey’s hand without a second thought and smiles even brighter than before as she tugs her closer. 

“You know, I didn’t have you pegged for a sap.” Phasma comments.

Rey bites her bottom lip and laughs, hiding her face in her pillow as she does because despite what had transpired last night, a memory that will be seared into her mind forever, she still can’t quite believe that this is happening, nor that she is apparently capable of such terribly nauseating romantic gestures.

“Sorry.”

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing.”

Rey looks over at her again at those words and there’s a softer smile on her lips now, something akin to fondness because Phasma is watching her the same way Rey has been watching her for weeks and it makes her heart feel lighter in her chest. It reminds her of the way Han looks at Leia. 

“So, I’ve been thinking.” Phasma speaks up again and her tone instantly sobers Rey up.

“About what?” She asks, even though she knows exactly what.

“About what to do next.”

The hazy mood suddenly shatters and Rey sits up before Phasma can say anything else, the sheets pooling around her waist and making her aware of the fact that she is naked. “You have to leave, don’t you?”

There’s a pause as Phasma sits up as well and moves her hand to Rey’s back to caress her smooth skin in a comforting gesture. “Yes.”

Rey swallows, tensing under her touch but not pulling away, not daring to since this might be one of the last chance she has to be this close to Phasma. Rey is about to say something when she speaks up again.

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t see each other.” 

“It doesn’t?” Rey asks, something akin to hope in her voice because she wants to believe what Phasma she is saying.

“It won’t be easy but I don’t work all the time. I’ve never seen more than ten clients in a year.” She explains as she squeezes her hand. “We can make this work, Rey.”

“Do you promise?” Rey asks.

“I promise.” Phasma smiles and leans in to kiss her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we come to and end! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this, I really hope you enjoyed it because I definitely had a lot of fun exploring the relationship of these two and if I get inspired I might add onto this 'verse.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr @mallcolmducasse.


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